Are you ready for President Oprah? Don’t laugh — the idea could become an actual reality.
Political
Following her passionate and rousing speech last Sunday at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, a large contingency of Americans are reportedly calling for popular media mogul Oprah Winfrey to run for president in 2020. Will she actually do it? According to best friend Gayle King, yes, the potential future ‘President Oprah’ is seriously considering a run for Commander-In-Chief.
If you’re wondering why the beloved billionaire would take a demotion from her reign as the most trusted and respected woman on the planet just for a chance at becoming President of the United States, you’re not alone. She could risk losing the love of millions simply by having to take a hardline political position on the important issues. She would be forced to discuss in detail her personal and business finances. Additionally, she would become a bullseye for the political opposition — a position she’s not used to and has never had to endure.
So, what are the positives and negatives for a ‘President Oprah?’ Let’s take a look:
PROS
1.) If Donald Trump lasts long enough to make a run for a 2nd term, ‘President Oprah’ is probably the only person alive who could successfully “out-Trump” Trump in popularity and appeal. She’s everything he wishes he was (but can only brag about because he’s not).
2.) ‘President Oprah’ could revive the Democratic Party by sweeping a wave of undercard candidates into office with her.
3.) In a race that will likely include former Vice-President Joe Biden, former candidate Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a ‘President Oprah’ would actually be the more exciting choice that could actually beat Donald Trump.
4.) After a divisive 4 years of Donald Trump, ‘President Oprah’ is one of only a few people alive who could truly unite the country and get us back on the same page.
5.) With no political or governing experience whatsoever, she could rely on her enormous experience as a businessperson by serving as more of a figurehead, while surrounding herself with some of the best and most qualified individuals in the world to actually run the country (you know, the thing Donald Trump said he could do but was actually never able to deliver).
6.) Oprah Winfrey would make history by not only becoming the first female president but the first African-American female president. Also, book-ending the Trump years with 8 glorious years of the Obama presidency followed by the ‘President Oprah’ years could actually make us forget the national nightmare known as “The Donald.”
CONS
1.) To follow up 4 years from a blowhard reality television show ignoramus (Trump) with the presidency of a successful talk show queen, could effectively mean the death of the prestigious office. Running for president would no longer be seen as the office for qualified candidates capable of a split-second decision amid a nuclear threat, but could become an “American Idol-style” popularity contest that would only attract rich and famous entertainment idols.
2.) With sky-high favorability ratings, Oprah Winfrey could probably effect greater change as a private citizen outside of Washington than as a public official inside of Washington.
3.) Do we really want a TV personality in charge of the United States Military and the nuclear codes?
Politics
So, how do you feel about the possibility of President Oprah Winfrey? What about President Michelle Obama? Would either candidate be more exciting and have more of a chance of beating Trump than an old-guard candidate like Joe Biden?
Tell us what you think!
(Sigh!)….Have we NOT learned our lesson?! Because if we have’t then a *Trump -vs- Oprah for president* is exactly the kind of political competition “that WE, as a nation, unquestionably deserve.”
Yes. Oprah would be a far better president than Trump for a number of OBVIOUS reasons. But frankly, by electing Trump, the bar has now been lowered to the point where anyone with a modicum of intelligence and a tap of common sense would be far better than him!!!
And isn’t THAT the problem!?! ….that now we’ll settle for almost ANYBODY but Trump!?!
NO. JUST. NO.
The “CONS” on DJ’s list are among the MAIN reasons on My own list of why I do NOT want Oprah to run.
I mean..Good Lord. It’s true what they say about politicians and celebrities. Most, if not ALL, of them are indeed narcissistic. Some significantly more than others.
I love Oprah and all, but I have to agree with Truth. We have to get away from making president a popularity contest. Yes she could probably beat Trump and get him out of there but she has no experience either. This is real life not a tv show and I don’t trust either one of them when it comes down to a war or something dealing with our lives. How about we go back to making the office of president something somebody works for and deserves. Not something anybody with enough followers could get just because they are popular.
This is real life not a tv show and I don’t trust either one of them when it comes down to a war or something dealing with our lives. How about we go back to making the office of president something somebody works for and deserves. Not something anybody with enough followers could get just because they are popular. […]
Love.This!!!
I just want to be clear……
In NO way am I suggesting that Oprah isn’t on a far far HIGHER level (in every way) than Trump because we all know that She is. Just consider her life story. the trials and tribulations she had to overcome. Her work ethics and stellar reputation. Her outstanding business and personal achievements and successes. Her ACTUAL wealth (she came from nothing to a SELF-made Billionaire). Her philanthropy. The way in which she treats people, especially those who work for her. No need for me to go on. She’s not perfect. No one is. She’s human with human flaws. But she’s ALL that Trump can NEVER be. Even he knows it’s true.
Still…I stand by what I expressed in my initial response. I do NOT want to see Oprah run for president. But whoever runs would be extremely fortunate to get her support.
Re: Michelle Obama – I would love to see Michelle run for President. I doubt she ever will ….but I can Hope!
DJ, you didn’t include these 2 venomous beauts on your “CONS” list: Racism and Mysogyny.
Ah but trust….there will always be a “real Amurikin” to remind Us.
TAC Reader:
We have already ignored Obama’s idiocy because he was black but I think the polish is off deference to someone because they are black, female or minority. Oprah will face a hurricane of controversy and hate that she has not seen since her court battle over beef. Trump took the gloves off battling political correctness and empowered the working class. More blacks and Hispanics are employed than ever before and the methods Trump used to force marginal minorities into the workforce are completely anathema to the DNC and Oprah. Neither the DNC or Oprah would ever deny an illegal immigrant to protect the job of a black or Hispanic US citizen. Never!
Would Oprah be likeable? Yes
Would Oprah get the black and female vote? Yes
Unlike Trump, Oprah has no guts and no substance for presidential or gubernatorial politics. Congress or Senate: Maybe. Unlike Trump, Oprah’s whole career has been a feel good self help secular politically correct bowl of manure. Like the Beef Lawsuit, she collapses like jello when she is disliked and embroiled in controversy. Conversely, Trump has always survived and thrived both when he is despised and hated, in the whirlwind of controversy or liked/popular.
These women are running to be CEO’s and President of the US. They are also proving they cant handle it and working women all over the developed world are the most unhappy in history. […]
On a related note – some Americans complain that our celebrity culture has become too political
TAC Reader:
The problem is not that our celebrity culture has become political. The problem is that our political culture has for the most part lost the ability to engage in debate and oratory. Oprah’s speech stands out only because she and other celebrities are the only people making speeches like that. Our politicians, who should be laying out visions and principles are instead spending their efforts composing the next crowd-tested sound bite. And even if one of them does try to say more than that, the news media will ignore 90% of what they say in order to pull out one “money quote”.
The only reason people think Oprah sounded “presidential” is because they are comparing her to the twitterer-in-chief. And yes, by that standard, she would certainly make a far better president. But that is really not saying very much, is it? […]
From The Root:
Oprah Is Not America’s Mammy; Please Don’t Ask Her to Clean Up This White President’s Mess
https://www.theroot.com/oprahs-not-americas-mammy-please-dont-ask-her-to-clean-1821880731?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=The_Root_facebook
Fox News:
Internationally renowned musician Seal trashed Oprah Winfrey on social media just days after her widely praised speech at the Golden Globe Awards on sexual misconduct in Hollywood, calling her a “part of the problem for decades.”
In a fiery Instagram post Wednesday, Seal republished a pair of photos of Winfrey with disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, including one in which she appears to be kissing the producer’s cheek. Overlayed on the photos, in all-caps, is the text: “When you have been part of the problem for decades, but suddenly they all think you are the solution.”
Seal added a sarcastic comment to the right of the photographs that suggested Winfrey knew Weinstein was mistreating women.
“Oh I forgot, that’s right…..you’d heard the rumours but you had no idea he was actually serially assaulting young stary-eyed actresses who in turn had no idea what they were getting into. My bad,” Seal wrote.
On Tuesday, comedian and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane also spoke out against Winfrey, cautioning that celebrity power does not alone qualify a candidate for the presidency.
“Oprah is beyond doubt a magnificent orator,” MacFarlane wrote. “But the idea of a reality show star running against a talk show host is troublingly dystopian. We don’t want to create a world where dedicated public service careers become undesirable and impractical in the face of raw celebrity.”
Update: Thurs. Jan. 25, 2018
So apparently Oprah FINALLY does what she should have done from the jump.
TPM: Oprah Shuts Down Presidential Rumors: ‘Not Something That Interests Me’
Excerpt:
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey put an end to rumors that she could run for president in an interview with InStyle published Thursday, saying “it’s not something that interests me.”
“How do you feel when people say, ‘Oprah 2020’?” InStyle editor-in-chief Laura Brown asked during an interview Winfrey did with the magazine.
“I actually saw a mug the other day … I thought it was a cute mug,” she replied. “All you need is a mug and some campaign literature and a T-shirt.”
“I’ve always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not. And so it’s not something that interests me. I don’t have the DNA for it.” – Talking Points Memo